IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 59 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness 

Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 6, 2013 

Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. HIMES, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. 

WATT, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. HAHN, Ms. 

SCHWARTZ, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. LEWIS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. MOORE, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CICILLINE, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. HASTINGS of 

Florida, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of 

Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. WATERS, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. BISHOP

of Georgia, Mr. RUSH, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. ELLISON, 

Ms. NORTON, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. HONDA, Mr. SERRANO, 

and Ms. EDWARDS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/ 

AIDS Awareness Day. 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC) estimates that in the United States, more than 

1,100,000 people are living with HIV, and 21 percent do 

not know they are infected; 


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Whereas in 2010, approximately 47,129 people were diagnosed with HIV in the United States, about 1 person infected with HIV every 11 minutes; 

Whereas African-Americans represented 44 percent of all 

people living with HIV in the United States in 2009; 

Whereas in 2010, nearly 21,000 African-Americans were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, contracting HIV at a rate 7.9 

times as high as the rate in Whites; 

Whereas although African-American teenagers (ages 13 to 

19) represent only 15 percent of all teenagers in the 

United States, they accounted for 69 percent of new HIV 

cases reported among teenagers in 2010; 

Whereas new HIV infections among African-American men 

who have sex with men (MSM) ages 13 to 29, increased 

48 percent from 2006 through 2009; 

Whereas young gay men of color bear a disproportionate burden of the epidemic, with the majority of new HIV infections in 2010 occurring among 13- to 24-year-old African-American MSM, accounting for 45 percent of new infections among African-American MSM and 55 percent 

of all new infections among young MSM; 

Whereas in 2010, African-American women accounted for 68 

percent of new HIV infections among women and had an 

infection rate that was 20 times higher than that of 

White women; 

Whereas among African-American men, the leading transmission category of HIV infection in 2010 was sexual 

contact with other men, followed by heterosexual contact 

and intravenous drug use; 

Whereas in 2008, HIV/AIDS prevalence among men in prisons was 1.4 percent; 


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Whereas in 2010, African-American males were imprisoned 

at a rate nearly 7 times that of White males; 

Whereas among African-American women, the leading transmission category of HIV infection is heterosexual contact, 

followed by intravenous drug use; 

Whereas the CDC notes that socioeconomic issues impact the 

rates of HIV infection among African-Americans, and 

studies have found an association between higher AIDS 

rates and lower incomes; 

Whereas African-Americans are diagnosed with AIDS later 

than their nonminority counterparts, are confronted with 

barriers in accessing care and treatment, and face higher 

morbidity and mortality outcomes; 

Whereas the CDC estimates that among persons whose diagnosis of AIDS had been made during 1997 to 2004, African-Americans had the poorest survival rates of any racial or ethnic group, with 66 percent surviving after 9 

years compared with 67 percent of American Indians and 

Alaska Natives, 74 percent of Hispanics, 75 percent of 

Whites, and 81 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders; 

Whereas approximately 619,400 people have died of AIDS in 

the United States from the beginning of the HIV/AIDS 

epidemic through 2012, and African-Americans account 

for approximately 40 percent of such deaths; 

Whereas in 2007, HIV was the ninth leading cause of death 

for all African-Americans, and the third leading cause of 

death for both African-American men and African-American women between the ages of 35 to 44; 

Whereas life-saving treatment is also proven prevention, and 

research shows that antiretroviral drugs can reduce the 

risk of transmitting HIV/AIDS by up to 96 percent; 


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Whereas the Food and Drug Administration has approved 

pre-exposure prophylaxis as prevention for people who are 

HIV-negative; 

Whereas a sequester that triggers a 5.2-percent reduction 

across nondefense spending, as part of the Budget Control Act, would result in harmful cuts to programs that 

would significantly undermine the domestic HIV/AIDS 

response; 

Whereas according to amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, and the National Minority AIDS Council 

(NMAC), such cuts to domestic HIV/AIDS services and 

research would result in the loss of HIV/AIDS treatment 

for 6,500 people of color in the AIDS Drug Assistance 

Program, as well as housing assistance for 1,850 households, and delay the development of life-saving treatment, 

vaccines, and behavioral interventions; 

Whereas in 1998, Congress and the Clinton Administration 

created the National Minority AIDS Initiative to help coordinate funding, build capacity, and provide prevention, 

care, and treatment services within the African-American, 

Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American 

communities; 

Whereas the National Minority AIDS Initiative assists with 

leadership development of community-based organizations 

(CBOs), establishes and links provider networks, builds 

community prevention infrastructure, promotes technical 

assistance among CBOs, and raises awareness among African-American communities; 

Whereas in 2012 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) released a manual of 

best practices for faith leaders to mobilize communities, 


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advocate for community support for people infected with 

and affected by HIV/AIDS, and organize dialogues on 

HIV/AIDS as a social justice issue as part of ‘‘The Black 

Church and HIV: The Social Justice Imperative’’; 

Whereas the first annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was organized on February 23, 2001; and 

Whereas February 7 of each year is now recognized as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with the slogan 

‘‘Get Educated! Get Tested! Get Involved! Get Treated!’’: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 

3 Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; 

4 (2) encourages State and local governments, in5 cluding their public health agencies, and media orga6 nizations to recognize and support such day, to pub7 licize its importance among their communities, and 

8 to all encourage individuals, especially African-Amer9 icans, to get tested for HIV; 

10 (3) commends the work of AIDS service organi11 zations and community and faith-based organiza12 tions that are providing effective, evidence-based, 

13 prevention, treatment, care, and support services to 

14 people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS; 

15 (4) supports the implementation of the National 

16 HIV/AIDS Strategy and its goals to reduce new 

17 HIV infections, increase access to care and improve 


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1 health outcomes for people living with HIV, reduce 

2 HIV-related disparities and health inequities, and 

3 achieve a more coordinated national response to the 

4 HIV/AIDS epidemic; 

5 (5) supports reducing the impact of incarcer6 ation as a driver of new HIV infections within the 

7 African-American community; 

8 (6) supports reducing the number of HIV infec9 tions in the African-American community resulting 

10 from intravenous drug use; 

11 (7) supports effective and comprehensive HIV 

12 prevention education programs to promote the early 

13 identification of HIV through voluntary routine test14 ing, and to connect those in need to clinically and 

15 culturally appropriate care and treatment as early as 

16 possible; 

17 (8) supports appropriate funding for HIV/AIDS 

18 prevention, care, treatment, research, and housing, 

19 including community based approaches to fight stig20 ma, discrimination, and homophobia; and 

21 (9) encourages a comprehensive prevention and 

22 treatment strategy that empowers public health 

23 workers, educators, faith leaders, and other stake24 holders to engage their communities to help decrease 

25 violence, discrimination, and stigma towards individVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:32 Feb 07, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR59.IH HR59

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1 uals who disclose their sexual orientation or HIV 

2 status, and normalize voluntary testing practices. 

Æ 


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